The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for exercise and physical therapy. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods and devices for strength measurement.
Muscle strength measurement is an important component of physical therapy and rehabilitation and sport science in general. Rehabilitation outcomes for many diseases, disorders and injuries, ranging from stroke in older populations to athletic injuries in younger populations requires assessment of muscle strength in a clinical environment. Research in rehabilitation and sport science often use muscle strength as a primary outcome, and furthermore requires measurement of “maximal voluntary isometric contraction” to normalize muscle electromyography assessments.
There are currently two choices for obtaining quantitative measurement of muscle strength. Isometric dynamometry systems can accurately and reliably measure both isokinetic and isometric muscle strength, but very few clinical facilities have access to such equipment due to its cost of purchase and maintenance as well as its space requirements. Furthermore, typical systems that objectively quantify limb flexion and extension strength are large apparatuses attached to the wall or floor which are not easily portable.
Hand-held dynamometry systems are considerably cheaper and require far less resources to maintain, but usually require a trained user to hold the device steady while the subject, who must also remain steady, applies a force. Testing of major joints (like the knee and elbow) with such a device can thus be difficult to perform, mostly in terms of the tester stabilizing themselves against the patient's ability to generate force.